Comments on: Guest post by Ben Eltham: Useless pack of Bankers

By: Umm Yasmin

Umm Yasmin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:43:27 +0000

For an alternative take on Quality of Life research: Deakin's Australian Centre on Quality of Life (although I don't think they rank suburbs and it's quantitative research).

By: pablo

pablo — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:18:47 +0000

My recent abode was in a town that topped the regional list, much to my surprise. But I know that census stats show a very low percentage of retirees remain living in the place which suggests to me that it is somewhat lacking in the Bankwest scheme of things.

I have a similar problem with these bank surveys of ‘business and consumer confidence’ which always get a trot with the journos. Quite often they are contradictory from one week to the next.

By: Roger Jones

Roger Jones — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:06:47 +0000

C’mon – this is a team sport striving for the lowest common denominator. Groups do crappy research because they know they can get away with it and the news media will snaffle up any dross that’s served as long it has an angle that can be reported as “news”.

By: Rebekka

Rebekka — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:43:46 +0000

The correct collective noun for ABC researchers is clearly “a fiction of ABC researchers”.

By: Ben Eltham

Ben Eltham — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:06:21 +0000

Andrew – I agree, the media is certainly culpable for picking up this kind of thing and runnig hard with it. Today for instance we’re seeing a similar thing with the recent architects’ policy on urban planning. Never-the-less, I think it is disappointing that a well-resourced institution like a bank can’t put a little more effort into rigorous research.

By: Andrew Reynolds

Andrew Reynolds — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:01:00 +0000

As a (former) banker, may I suggest that the post should be re-named “A useless pack of ABC researchers” (I am not sure what the correct collective noun should be for ABC researchers).
The right culprits are those that are so lazy as to elect to use this sort of stuff, not the bankers that produced it in the hope that it is picked up.

By: FDB

FDB — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:38:41 +0000

“Its a research outlook”

You’re too kind.

By: Roger Jones

Roger Jones — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:23:06 +0000

And while we’re discussing pop demography, I take my Bernard with a pinch of salt.

Presaging the next condemn thread, I condemn everything he says and does. Society is not a layer cake of BBs, Xs, Ys and Zs each growing up as blank slates, quarantined from the past.

Its a research outlook gained from standing on the shoulders of pygmies.

By: Andos

Andos — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:50:32 +0000

Yes. A survey designed to sell mortgages finds that areas with large, detatched houses are best to live in. Surprising.

I remember listening to an interview with Ian Corfield on News Radio about this (with significant incredulity). Apparently they didn’t include ratings of such things as ‘cultural facilities’ because it was too hard to measure… Quality of Life Index my arse.

By: Ben Eltham

Ben Eltham — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:48:48 +0000

Thanks John, it’s a great point about the omissions. One of the most notable here is complete absence of any indicators looking at, say, access to leisure, sporting or arts facilities. This is disappointing given that much of the activity of local government is devoted to improvinb the amenity of their municipalities through the provision of parks, libraries, pools and other sports grounds, arts centres and so on.